Armored garment



May 29, 1956 L. w. FOSTER ARMORED GARMENT 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 9, 1955 INVENTOR. Lows W FosTER BY A ATTORNEY.

May 29, 1956 L. w. FOSTER 2,747,190

ARMORED GARMENT Filed March 9, 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

Lows N- FosTER ATTORNEY.

May 29, 1956 L. w. FOSTER 2,747,190

ARMORED GARMENT Filed March 9, 1953 I 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR. LOUIS W. PCs FER ATTORNEY.

United States Fatent ARMORED GARMENT Louis W. Foster, Meriou, Pa-

Application March 9, 1953, Serial No. 341,202

4 Claims. (Cl; 22.5)

This invention relates generally to garments of the type worn in combat and is more particularly concerned with improvements in the construction of armored vests.

Among the objects of this invention are to provide an armored vest which is reasonably light and flexible in use, which afiords protection for a comparatively large area of the body against the penetration of harmful objects, which affords protection against the elements, thus maintaining the body warm and dry, and which is readily put on or removed.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will appear more fully hereinafter, it beingunderstood that the present invention consists substantially in the-combination, location and relativearrangernent of parts, all as described in detail hereinafter, as shown in the accompanying drawings and as finally pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, which are illustrative of a preferred form of the present invention:

Figure 1 is a front elevational view of the vest embody ing the present invention.

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the vest shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an elevational view of the vest shown in Figure 1, the front being'opened to expose the insideof the vest.

Figure 4 is an enlarged sectional elevational view on line 44 of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is an enlarged sectional plan view on line 5-5 of Figure 1.

Figure 6 is an enlarged sectional plan view on line 6-6 of Figure 1.

Figure 7 is a rear elevational view of the vest shown in Figure 1.

Figure 8 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the action of the armor plates when the front of the vest is foreshortened; and

Figure 9 is a perspective view of an armor plate.

Referring to the drawings, it will be observed that a garment embodying the present invention may be in the form of a sleeveless jacket or a vest 10 having a yoke 11 and a body 12. The yoke 11 is provided with a neck opening 13 and is made to engage the shoulders of the wearer. The body 12 depends from the yoke 11 and covers the chest, back and waist of the wearer, the yoke. 11 and the body 12 being formed with armholes 14-14 and with means 15 for separably securing together the front of the vest 10.

Referring again to the yoke 11, this part comprises an outer layer of fabric 16, an inner layer of fabric 17 and a pad 18 disposed between the layers of fabric 16 and 17, the pad 18 being built up of a number of plies of suitable material.

Now referring again to the body 12, this part comprises an outer layer of fabric 19, an inner layer of fabric 20 and tiers 21, 22 and 23 of armor plates 24 disposed between and carried by the layers of fabric 1-9-and 20.

Patented May 29, 1956 ice The inner layers of fabric 17 of the yoke 11 and 20 of the body 12 comprise three sections of material each of which extends from the shoulders of the vest 10 to a line below the armholes 14-14. One section 25 extends around the back of the vest 10; the other sections 26 and 27 extend around the front respectively on the right and left sides thereof. The sections 25, 26 and 27 are secured together by lines of stitching 28-28 which extend downwardly from the arm holes 14-14 and by lines of stitching 29-29 which extend between the neck opening 13 and respectively between the armholes 14-14.

Similarly, the outer layers of fabric 16 of the yoke 11 and 19 of the body 12 comprise three sections of material each of which extends from the shoulders of the vest 10 to a linebelow the sections of material 25, 26 and 27. One section 30 extends around the back of the vest 10; the other sections 31 and 32 extend around the front respectively on the right and left sides thereof. The sections 30, 31 and 32 are secured togetherby lines of stitching 33-33 which extend downwardly from the armholes 14-14 and by lines of stitching 34-34 which extend between the neck opening 13 and respectively between the armholes 14-14.

T he inner lining comprising the sections of material 25, 26 and 27 and the outer main covering comprising the sections of material 30, 31 and 32 are directly secured together by lines-of stitching 35-35 which extend around the armholes 14-14, by a line of stitching 36 which extends about the neck opening 13 and approximately onequarter of the distance down the vest 10 on each side of the frontal opening, and by tack stitching 37 below the stitching 36 on each side of the frontal opening. The pad 18 is secured to the inner lining and to the outer main covering by a suitable line of stitching 38.

The armor plates 24 preferably are sheets of pressed fibre glass slightly curved in one direction. The plates are rectangular in shape and rounded at the corners. With regard to the means for securing to the vest 10 the plates 24, there is provided for each of the tiers 21, 22 and 23 a series of suitably arranged pockets. The plates 24 extending around the back of the tier 21 are four in number and are accommodated by pockets 39 and 39 formed in a four-pocket unit 40. The outer faces 41 of the pockets 39 between the vertical lines of stitching 42 are longer than the corresponding inner faces 43, the excess material of the outer faces 41 being folded over toward the pocket 39- and, at the bottom edge of the unit 40, being sewed to, and flat against, the corresponding edge of the inner face 43 by a line of stitches 44 which serves to close the bottom of the unit 40, and, at the top edge of the latter, being sewed to, and flat against, the corresponding edge of the inner face 43 by a line of stitches 45 which serves to close the top of the unit 40 and to secure it to the inner lining, the bottom of the unit 40 extending Well below the inner lining. It will be observed that by this construction the plates 24 are fully encased by the pockets 39 and 39' and are secured with their proximate side portions overlapping in the same direction.

The plates 24 extending around the front of the tier 21 also are four in number, a pair thereof being positioned on each Side of the frontal opening of the vest 10, and each pair being encased in a two-pocket unit 46 generally similar in construction to the pocket unit 40 and similarly secured to the inner lining. Each of the pocket units 46-46, however, is also directly secured to the outer main covering by tack stitching 47 in the lower corner thereof remote from the frontal opening of the vest 10, and by a line of stitching 48 along the edge thereof proximate the frontal opening of the vest 10, the stitching 48 extending from the bottom of the unit 46 upwardly a distance equal to approximately one-half the depth of the unit.

The plates 24 in the tier 22 are the same in number and are distributed in the back and on each side in the front of the vest in the same manner as the plates 24 in the tier 21, being encased in identical pocket units, which, however, are secured by lines of stitching 49 along their top edges, and by lines of stitching 5050 along the edges of the pocket units 4646 proximate the frontal opening of the vest 10, to the outer main covering, and which extend downwardly a sufficient distance for overlapping the pocket units of the tier 21.

The plates 24 in the back of the tier 23 are two in number and are encased in a pocket unit 46 which is secured by a line of stitching 51 along its top edge to the inner lining, and which extends downwardly a sufl'lcient distance for overlapping the pocket unit 40 of the tier 22.

The plates 24 in the front of the tier 23 are two in number, one being positioned on each side of the frontal opening of the vest, and each being encased in a one-pocket unit 52 which is secured by a line of stitching 53 along its top edge and one side edge to the inner lining and by the line of stitches 36 along the other side edge to both the inner lining and the outer main covering, the stitches 36 extending downwardly for a distance equal to about onehalf the depth of the pocket unit 52 and the pocket units 5252 extending downwardly a sufficient distance for overlapping the pocket units 4646 of the tier 22.

Referring particularly to Figure 4, the plates 24 of the tiers 21, 22 and 23 are disposed in staggered relation to one another, the plates of the tier 22 being outwardly disposed relative to those of the tiers 21 and 22. It will be observed that each of the pocket units 40, 46 and 52 is secured along the horizontally extending top edge thereof by suitable stitching to either the outer main covering or the inner lining, and that none of these units is secured along the horizontally extending bottom edge thereof to either the outer main covering or the inner lining. Furthermore, each of the pocket units 5252 is secured for its full depth along the vertically extending side edge thereof remote from the frontal opening of the vest 10 by suitable stitching only to the inner lining, being further secured for the lower one-half of its depth along the vertically extending side edge thereof proximate the frontal opening of the vest 10 by suitable stitching only to the inner lining, and for the remainder of its depth to both the inner lining and the outer main covering. Still further, the pocket units 46-46 in the tier 21 are each secured at the lower corner thereof remote from the frontal opening of the vest 10 by suitable tack stitching only to the outer main covering, and each is further secured for the lower one-half of its depth along the vertically extending side edge thereof proximate the frontal opening of the vest 10 by suitable stitching only to the outer main covering, being secured for the remainder of its depth only to the inner lining. In addition, the pocket units 46-46 in the tier 22 are each secured for its full depth along the vertically extending side edge thereof proximate the frontal opening of the vest 10 by suitable stitching only to the outer main covering.

It should be readily apparent that by reason of the construction just described, by way of emphasis, the vest 10 may readily be contracted in length, for which purpose the tiers 21, 22 and 23 of plate 24 are adapted to vertically shift relatively to each other, as shown, for example in Figure 8, wherein the front of the garment is shown shortened in its overall length, as when the wearer stoops forwardly. Furthermore, any part around the vest 10 may be so contracted without correspondingly shortening all of the remaining parts thereabout. This feature is very important for, in conjunction with the feature that any plate 24 in a multiple pocket unit is afforded a limited range of swinging movement relative to the adjacent plate 24 in the same pocket unit due to the flexibility of the pocket material and its construction, it afifords great flexibility and prevents any undue hampering of the wearers freedom of movement.

For separably securing together the front of the vest 10, there is provided means 15 comprising a zipper indicated generally by the numeral 54 and an overlying snap bottom closure member indicated generally by the numeral 55, all of conventional construction and suitably secured along the frontal opening of the vest 10. For tightening the vest 10 about the waist, a conventional means may be provided, as a belt 56.

It should be apparent that the armored vest of the present invention can be made light enough in weight for practical purposes. In spite of the fact that a very large area of the body of the wearer is afforded protection against the penetration of harmful objects the armored vest 10 is flexible in use, the telescope action of the plates 24 being diagrammatically illustrated in Figure 8, Where the vest 10 is shown with its front foreshortened, as when the wearer is in a crouched position. Due to the air space between the inner lining and the outer main covering, the vest 10 affords effective protection of the wearer against the elements. Furthermore, the vest 10 may be readily put on or removed.

It will be understood, of course, that the present invention is susceptible of various changes and modifications which may be made from time to time without involving any departure from the general principles or real spirit thereof, and it is accordingly intended to claim the same broadly, as well as specifically as indicated in the appended claims.

What is claimed as new and useful is:

1. In armored structure for protecting the torso, a loosefitting, vest-like garment having inner and outer body fabrics, a plurality of pockets disposed between said body fabrics to cover the waist, chest and back areas of the garment, said pockets being arranged in vertically offset rows extending circumferentially around the garment with the pockets of one row partially overlapping those of an adjoining row, each row of pockets being secured to the garment along a line substantially coincident with the upper ends of the pockets forming the row thereof and the several rows of pockets being respectively secured alternately to the inner and outer body fabrics of the garment whereby the lower ends of all of the pockets are entirely free of the body fabrics of the garment, certain of said pockets being arranged in side by side relation with their adjoining edges overlapping and with the side edge of a given one of said pockets secured to the inner face of its adjoining pocket along a vertical line spaced inwardly from the side edge of said adjoining pocket, and a plurality of armor plates respectively disposed in said pockets, each of said plates being of a size to completely fill its accommodating pocket whereby said armor plates are all disposed in the same overlapping relation as are the said pockets.

2. In an armored structure of the character defined in claim 1 wherein said garment is provided with three of said rows of pockets, the central row of which is secured to one of the body fabrics and the remaining rows of which are each secured to the other of said body fabrics.

3. In an armored structure of the character defined in claim 1 wherein at least three of said circumferentially extending rows of pockets are disposed between the inner and outer body fabrics of the garment, and wherein adjoining rows of the pockets are respectively secured to the inner and outer body fabrics of the garment with the main portions of the pockets suspending freely from the fabrics to which they are secured so that the armor plates respectively accommodated in said pockets are shiftable relatively to one another to permit flexing of the garment during use thereof.

4. In an armored structure of the character defined in claim 1 wherein the pockets of one of said vertically ofiset rows thereof are secured to and depend freely from the inner face of one of the body fabrics while the pockets of the rows immediately above and below said one row thereof are secured to and depend freely from the inner face of the other of said body fabrics.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Hawley .-a-' a. June 18, 1918 Krause May 27, 1924 10 

